Internal Pipe Aperture Tool for Landfill Gas Well Rehabilitation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for rehabilitating non-functional or under-producing methane recovery wells at municipal solid waste facilities are ineffective due to difficulties in accessing wells on uneven ground, pipe deviations, and internal obstructions, limiting the ability to successfully re-enter and restore these wells.
Innovation Solution
An internal pipe aperture tool that creates apertures within existing landfill gas recovery well riser pipes, using a housing with pistons and motive fluid to extend and retract, allowing for LFG extraction from non-vertical, obstructed, or flooded wells, and enabling the rehabilitation of wells without the need for additional drilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional rehabilitation methods are used to access and restore non-functional wells, then the process requires additional drilling and complex equipment, but the difficulty of accessing wells on uneven ground, pipe deviations, and internal obstructions prevents successful re-entry
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of trying to access the well from the outside with traditional drilling equipment, the invention inverts the approach by introducing a perforation tool through the existing well pipe from the top. This allows rehabilitation to proceed from the inside out, bypassing all external access problems including uneven ground, pipe deviations, and ground obstructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The perforation tool is designed to be inserted through the existing well pipe structure, nesting the rehabilitation equipment within the already-installed well infrastructure. This eliminates the need for additional drilling operations and allows the tool to reach the screen zone through the existing pipe pathway.
2Reliability
If additional drilling is performed to rehabilitate wells, then new access points can be created, but the complexity and cost of drilling operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The perforation tool serves multiple functions: it navigates through deviated pipes, penetrates obstructions, creates new perforations in the screen zone, and can be deployed through existing well infrastructure. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate drilling operations and specialized rehabilitation equipment.
3Productivity
If the screen zone is flooded or clogged, then LFG extraction efficiency decreases, but traditional cleaning methods cannot effectively reach or clear the obstructions
Solution Approach 1:
The perforation tool creates additional perforations in the screen zone before attempting to clear obstructions. This preliminary action increases the effective extraction area and provides alternative pathways for LFG flow, compensating for clogged or flooded zones while the cleaning process is underway.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tool effectively increases LFG collection capacity, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and maintains regulatory compliance by creating apertures in existing pipes, allowing for efficient extraction of methane from previously inoperable wells, thereby enhancing energy production and environmental sustainability.
Implementation Method 1
The tool is powered by a hydraulic or pneumatic piston that creates apertures in the polymeric pipe
Implementation Method 2
The tool is powered by a hydraulic or pneumatic piston that creates apertures in the polymeric pipe
Implementation Method 3
LFG is then used for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, motor vehicle fuel, generator fuel, biodiesel production, natural gas supplement, as well as and a green power source
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method to internally provide apertures inside polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high density polyethylene (HDPE), or any polymeric pie, plastic pipe-riser (blank casing) in existing landfill gas recovery wells (extraction wells) that have been installed at Municipal Solid Waste Facilities are described. By creating additional apertures in landfill gas recovery well risers, landfill gas derived from the decomposition of waste is allowed to enter the existing riser and extraction/recovery system. This process saves time and cost associated with drilling additional wells to capture landfill gas from subsequent layers of the waste body. The process assists in maintaining regulatory compliance by capturing landfill gas and preventing it from being emitted into the atmosphere.